


Interruptions

by Confused_Content_Creator



Category: The Worst Witch (TV 2017), The Worst Witch - All Media Types
Genre: Eventual Smut, F/F, Feelings, Fluff, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-29
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:33:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26173525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Confused_Content_Creator/pseuds/Confused_Content_Creator
Summary: __ times they were interrupted and one time they weren't, featuring two increasingly frustrated witches
Relationships: Hardbroom/Pentangle (Worst Witch)
Comments: 42
Kudos: 113





	1. The Spelling Bee

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first posted fic but these two are too cute not to write about. This was supposed to have less words and more smut but things kind of happened so here we go

  
“I... returned the cat.” It was all Hecate Hardbroom could think to say when she entered her rooms after an incredibly emotionally exhausting day to find Pippa Pentangle standing in the middle of her sitting room. Pippa looked a little embarrassed, holding herself far more rigidly than usual, but she smiled nervously.

“Good. I’m glad – that girl is a talented witch.”

“That _girl_ is a menace,” Hecate replied on impulse, but her words didn’t have quite the usual amount of bite to them. Pippa let out a small huff of breath that might have been a laugh, accompanied by another uncertain smile. There was a stretch of silence that went on just a beat too long as they both searched for something to say. It was one thing for a tearful hug after heartfelt apologies, and quite another to actually navigate these new boundaries Mildred Hubble had pushed them into forming. Pippa licked her lips nervously, and Hecate found it far too difficult to pull her gaze away from them.

“Hecate, I-”

“I was thinking we could-”

Both witches blushed a little at their overlapping sentences.

“You were saying?” Hecate prompted after another short silence.

“You first,” Pippa’s smile was brighter then, her eyes sparkling. The sight was wonderful, and Hecate wondered how she had survived without it for so many years.

“Yes. Well. I was thinking that – if you wanted to, of course – that we could play chess. Here. If you have the time-” she was rambling. Hecate Hardbroom was many things, but a rambler was not one of them. She also realised she had been looking at the wall behind Pippa for her entire embarrassing question. Did she even actually ask a question? She glanced at Pippa to notice the other witch repressing a laugh with one hand. Hecate felt her face warm and she immediately dropped her gaze to the floor. Pippa was laughing at her. Of course she was – it was a stupid idea; they hadn’t seen each other for thirty years. Things had changed. Why had she ever thought Pippa would agree to it? Hecate silently berated herself even as her stomach turned to lead. “It was a foolish suggestion. Please, forget I said anything.” Hecate stepped out of the doorway she had frozen in and reached of the handle.

“No!” Pippa took a step forward, reaching out a hand. At her loud voice, Hecate looked up to see Pippa’s eyes wide with what almost looked like panic. They stayed like that for a moment before Pippa cleared her throat, curled the fingers of her outstretched hand into a fist and pressing it against her middle. “I would like to. Play chess, I mean. Maybe... next Thursday? After classes I could fly here – Pentangle’s finishes earlier than you so we’ll have plenty of time...”

Pippa trailed off, eyes searching Hecate’s face for a response.

“Thursday would be...” She paused, searching for the right word, “Acceptable.” That was _not_ the right word, but Pippa smiled softly anyway, and Hecate’s heart melted at the quiet joy she saw in the other witch’s eyes.

~

Hecate smoothed her dress for the fifth time in as many minutes. Pacing up and down her living room she paused only to check the silver pocket watch around her neck. Nearly 6 o’clock. The flight from Pentangle’s took... she didn’t know. She’d never flown to or from the school and she wasn’t exactly in a position to do so. She snapped the pocket watch closed and all but flung herself into the nearest armchair. Pippa wasn’t coming. She supposed she deserved this – it was nothing compared to the pain and humiliation Pippa must have felt that day thirty years ago. When she had been left all alone with no explanation. When Hecate had hurt her, her beloved Pippa, in a way that might never fully heal. She felt the tears of guilt and frustration and something else well in her eyes at the unbidden memories and just as she was about to vanish the chessboard she’d set up hours earlier, there was a tap at the door.

Hecate bolted upright in her seat, her breath catching.

“Hecate?” the voice was soft and kind and a little worried as the quiet knock came again. Hecate cleared her throat, smoothed her characteristically immaculate dress yet again, and stalked over to the door. Sliding her usual mask of unreadable stillness into place, she opened the door.

“Hecate!” Pippa threw her arms around the taller witch’s neck, causing her to stiffen, her hands coming up and fingers curling uncertainly just out of reach of Pippa’s sides. Pippa pulled back, smiling warmly and Hecate just looked at the wonderful witch before her and wondered how she could possibly deserve someone as perfect as Pippa Pentangle in her life.

“Please. Come in.” She said, mouth dry, as she stepped to the side a gestured to the room behind her.

“Sorry for the delay,” Pippa said brightly as Hecate closed the door behind her, “There was an, um, _incident_ with a few of the fifth years. Apparently, a certain group thought it would be an excellent idea to combine a love spell and a personality potion to create-” they were both sat down now, Pippa on the sofa and Hecate in the opponents chair opposite her. Pippa smiled wryly, “Well, it doesn’t really matter what they _intended_ to do. The only thing they actually _succeeded_ in making was an impressively difficult-to-clean potions lab.” The corners of Hecate’s lips twitched upwards just slightly at Pippa’s story. It reminded her of something certain students she had the _pleasure_ of teaching would do, and she told Pippa as much.

“Would you perhaps be referring to a certain Mildred Hubble and friends?” Hecate didn’t mean to make a face. In fact, she wasn’t aware that she _had_ made a face. But Pippa took one look at her, tipped back her head and _howled_ with laughter, so she must have done something. The sound of Pippa’s laughter was something she hadn’t exactly forgotten, but Hecate’s memories hadn’t done it justice. As Pippa regained control of herself, Hecate quirked an eyebrow upwards.

“It would appear I need to keep a closer eye upon my expressions where a _certain student_ is concerned.” Pippa covered her mouth with a hand for a moment before bursting into a fit of giggles and Hecate allowed herself a small smile at the fact that she had been the cause of Pippa’s delight.

Hecate had been worried that their conversation would reflect the awkwardness of the previous week, but they immediately fell back into old patterns. Pippa talked about whatever came to her mind and Hecate offered dry commentary that continuously sent Pippa into a fit of giggles. Hecate would deliberately choose a piece to move and Pippa’s brow would furrow in concentration, especially when it was a move she hadn’t seen coming. While Pippa had been the one to introduce Hecate to chess when they were still at school, the student had quickly become the master and Hecate rarely lost. Pippa usually wasn’t quite this bad, though. She lost the first two games quickly, almost scraped a victory in the third and was badly losing their fourth game of the night.

“Okay _how_ are you doing this? I _swear_ you didn’t used to be this good!”

“Perhaps your skills have... diminished, over the years.”

“Mmhmm...” It was clear Pippa wasn’t listening as she looked intently at the board and Hecate’s eyes couldn’t leave her face. The way her brow wrinkled in concentration, the spark in her eyes, the curve of her lips... Pippa’s eyes suddenly snapped to hers as she registered Hecate’s previous comment. “Wait a minute, are you calling me-” she trailed off as Hecate quickly flicked her gaze from Pippa’s mouth to her eyes. There was a moment of silence as the two women stared at each other, Pippa’s face unreadable.

All thoughts of chess forgotten; Pippa stared at Hecate. Hecate, who she had never quite gotten over. Hecate, her childhood friend and unrequited love. Hecate who had just been staring at her with such heat and _hunger_ in her eyes that Pippa’s stomach had tightened, moisture gathering between her legs. Her mouth was suddenly dry and she licked her lips. Which, it turned out, was entirely the wrong thing to do as it drew Hecate’s eyes back to her mouth for a split second and all of Pippa’s teenage desires came flooding back. She had thought Hecate beautiful as a child, but as an adult witch... she was stunning. All tight black dresses and bright red lipstick... Pippa realised suddenly that her gaze had wandered from Hecate’s eyes to her painted lips and that was _not_ going to end well. She cleared her throat and whatever spell had fallen over them broke as she picked a piece at random and moved it, barely looking at the board. Hecate twitched an amused eyebrow and, without breaking Pippa’s stare, moved one of her own pieces.

“Checkmate.”

“What?” Pippa did look at the board then, and realised her mistake. “Oh, that is so not fair – I demand a rematch!”

“That’s what you’ve said after every game tonight, Pipsqueak.” Hecate was smiling a little and her eyes glittered with triumph.

“But this one was _different!_ I never would have made that move if I wasn’t so-” she realised far too late that there was no way out of that sentence that wouldn’t expose a secret she’d kept locked away in her heart since she was twelve years old.

“Wasn’t so... what?” Hecate’s eyebrow flicked upwards again and Pippa knew she was done for. Once Hecate Hardbroom set her sights on something, she was relentless in her pursuit. Be that the perfect potion, winning at a non-magical game she’d never heard of, or finding out a secret.

“If I weren’t so...” Pippa could tell this was a supremely bad idea and blamed it on the wine, despite the fact she’d only had two glasses. She bit her lip in what she hoped was a seductive fashion. “Distracted.”

“Oh? And what, pray tell, _distracted_ you enough to lose so spectacularly?” Pippa had several favourite Hecates. These included Happy Hecate, who was rarely seen and rarer still among company beyond Pippa (or so she hoped was still the case). Then there was Competitive Hecate, who Pippa had been re-introduced to at the Spelling Bee and had often imagined pinning her up against a wall somewhere. There was also triumphant Hecate. This was the Hecate she saw now, with a self-satisfied gleam in her eye and a lifted eyebrow and a slight smirk that Pippa desperately wanted to kiss. Pippa stood and walked slowly around the chess board.

“Oh, I don’t know... this and that,” this was such a bad idea. She knew it was a _terrible_ idea but she couldn’t quite stop herself. She reached Hecate’s chair and walked behind it, trailing a hand along the back and causing Hecate to stiffen slightly.

“There must have been something _particularly_ distracting to have caused that blunder.” Was it Pippa’s imagination, or had Hecate’s voice sounded a little... strained? It had certainly lacked her usual bite.

“There was one thing...” Pippa was back in front of Hecate now, looking down on the dark witch who’s white-knuckled hands were clenched in her lap. This was definitely a bad idea. With a small internal prayer that this wouldn’t ruin the friendship she’d just gotten back, Pippa placed a hand on either arm of Hecate’s chair and slowly leaned down, giving the other witch ample time to pull away while also giving her a perfect view of Pippa’s cleavage which looked especially good in the dress she’d chosen for tonight.

“Oh?” Hecate’s reply was strangled and her gaze was no longer fixed on Pippa’s face.

“You.” Pippa’s eyes drifted closed as she leaned in and brushed her lips against Hecate’s. Oh, this was _definitely_ a bad idea. Pippa pulled back a little to gauge Hecate’s reaction, but not far enough that Hecate’s breath wasn’t still brushing against her lips.

“Pippa...” Pippa’s heart dropped. She’d misread Hecate’s expressions, her body language, everything. How could she have been so _stupid-_ her eyes filled with tears and Pippa began to pull away, but Hecate stopped her with a soft hand on her wrist. Pippa forced herself to look Hecate in the eye, but instead of the disgust or horror or anger or _pity_ she had expected and feared to see, there was only a soft confusion written across Hecate’s face. Suddenly their conversion from the night of the Spelling Bee replayed in Pippa’s mind. Hecate thinking that she was too tall, too gangly, to even be her _friend..._

“You distracted me because you’re so beautiful, Hiccup.” Hecate’s eyes searched Pippa’s, and she forced herself to hold the confused gaze. Willed her eyes to show more than thirty years’ worth of love and desire and friendship. Hecate seemed to understand at least some of what Pippa felt, because her gaze softened a little.

“Me?” she whispered, as if afraid some spell would be broken.

“It always has been.” Pippa whispered back, smiling. Hecate licked her lips and Pippa’s eyes locked on the other witch’s mouth. Slowly, she leaned closer, again giving Hecate the opportunity to pull away.

This time, Hecate’s eyes closed as well, and she pressed her mouth against Pippa’s. Hecate’s lips were soft and Pippa forgot everything apart from the feeling of Hecate’s mouth on hers. That is, until she felt a hand at her waist while the other slid up to cup the back of her neck and she moaned into Hecate’s mouth. Pippa froze, her eyes snapping open and cheeks heating at the sound, but it seemed to snap the tight leash Hecate kept herself on because Pippa suddenly felt a tug on her waist and found herself straddling the other witch. They parted for a brief moment and Hecate took to opportunity to pull the elastic out of Pippa’s hair. Then they were kissing again and Pippa brushed her tongue against Hecate’s lips, begging for entrance. Hecate’s hands tangled in Pippa’s hair as she obliged and they both fought for dominance over the kiss. They became more desperate, moving faster and Pippa could feel the moisture gathering once again between her legs. She was making small, needy sounds into Hecate’s mouth that she would have been embarrassed about if she still retained the capacity to think. Hecate let out a low moan that made Pippa buck her hips and she felt Hecate smile into the kiss even as they finally broke it, panting.

Hecate’s hands slid to Pippa’s waist as Pippa moved to kiss, lick and suck on every bit of exposed skin she could find. With Hecate’s preferred style of dress, that wasn’t much, but she did have all of the other witch’s neck on display, which she made good use of. Hecate tilted her head to provide better access and encouraged her with breathy exhales that had her grinding her hips into Hecate’s lap for any friction she could find. She found a spot just below the witch’s ear that made Hecate gasp, so she licked over it once, then began to suck at it, causing Hecate to let out a truly _sinful_ noise-

There was a sharp knock at the door that had both witches sitting bolt upright and snapping their heads to it, wide-eyed and panting. The knock sounded again, this time accompanied by a voice.

“Miss Hardbroom?” Miss Drill’s voice sounded through the door, and Pippa silently thanked Hecate’s reputation for keeping the intruder on the other side of the door.

“We have a bit of an, uh, _situation.”_ Pippa stopped listening as she turned back to Hecate, who looked ready to commit murder at the interruption. The effect was only slightly diminished by the lipstick – both her signature red and Pippa’s rosy-pink – smeared around her kiss-swollen lips, the hair Pippa had pulled loose from her usually immaculate bun, and the already-forming marks on her neck. Pippa had half a mind to continue her work on Hecate’s neck when she finally registered the words “Ethel Hallow” and “Mildred Hubble” and realised this interruption wouldn’t be so easily banished.

“One. Moment.” Hecate all but spat at the door, and Miss Drill immediately stopped her rambling.

“I’ll, uh, meet you down in the hall then, HB?” Miss Drill said, far more nervously than before, followed by rapidly retreating footsteps.

Pippa covered her mouth to stifle a laugh, but failed despite her most valiant attempts.

“And what, _exactly,_ do you find so funny about this situation?” Hecate’s lips were pursed in anger as she turned her glare from the still-closed door to Pippa.

“Oh, trust me, I am _just_ as frustrated as you are. But you sounded about ready to murder that poor woman – I pity those girls that will have to face your wrath.” Pippa’s eyes sparkled with mirth and Hecate’s expression softened fractionally. Pippa began to smooth Hecate’s hair down before remembering she was a witch and fixed it with a wave of her hand. She reluctantly stood, pulling Hecate up with her.

“So... same time next week?” Pippa asked, arms still around the other witch’s neck.

“For... chess.” The insecurity was back in Hecate’s eyes, as if Pippa hadn’t just been sat in the witch’s lap with her tongue in Pippa’s mouth.

“Chess,” Pippa conceded, “And a continuation of this.” Their mouths had drifted closer again and they shared another searing kiss before Hecate finally pulled away.

“Until Thursday, then.” Hecate was suppressing the smile Pippa could tell was tugging at her lips. Pippa flicked her wrist again and Hecate’s lipstick fixed itself, all traces of her own removed. A perfect brow lifted once again.

“I happen to know for a fact that there are marks all over my neck that both students and staff will see.” Pippa pouted a little, leaning impossibly closer, her body pressed against Hecate’s.

“But how will anyone know you’re mine?” For a moment Pippa panicked at the boldness of the statement, but Hecate’s pupils dilated and she leaned down for another deep kiss.

“I suppose you’ll have to replace them next week.” She whispered onto Pippa’s mouth as the marks faded from her skin. But before Pippa could delay her further, she dissipated into a cloud of smoke, leaving Pippa to stumble forward a little even as she grinned like the lovesick teenager she had been.


	2. Everything is Fine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pippa finally gets to see Hecate again. Nothing goes to plan and two witches blush far too much to be respectable

Pippa took one final look at herself in the mirror before getting on her broomstick. She’d spent perhaps a little too long putting on make-up and had tried on one-too-many dresses for her approach to this evening to be described as ‘casual’. But, in her defence, it had been a month since she’s last seen Hecate. The first week they’d missed had been due to a bad storm around Pentangle’s, making take-off impossible; then Mildred had gotten a potion horrifically wrong on a Thursday afternoon and Hecate hadn’t been able to come up with a convincing enough excuse to get her out of supervising the girl’s detention. And then last week the Mists of Time had descended upon Cackles meaning no one could get in or out. And in all that time, despite their numerous mirror calls, neither of them had felt brave enough to actually bring up what had happened between them. Which was fine, Pippa told herself. Hecate wasn’t the sort to go discussing her feelings, but it didn’t mean she didn’t still feel them. It was completely, totally, one-hundred per-cent fine with her that she was currently flying to her childhood best friend-turned-crush’s room after making out with her and then not talking about it for weeks. Pippa sighed as Cackles came into view and silently told herself to breathe. This was _Hecate_ she was thinking about. Everything would be _fine._

~

Pippa took a deep breath, calmed her nerves, and raised a hand to knock on the door. She didn’t actually get to the knocking part, though, because she heard voices from inside Hecate’s rooms. Surely, Hecate hadn’t forgotten. Or was this Hecate’s way of telling her she didn’t want to address what had happened the last time they had seen each other? Banishing the thoughts from her mind, Pippa curled her hand into a tighter fist and knocked. She should at least hear Hecate out before she got too defensive.

Hecate opened the door a moment later and Pippa noted with no small amount of satisfaction the way The witch’s pupils dilated as she looked at the way the dress hugged her curves. 

“Who is it HB?”

At the voice from inside Hecate’s eyes snapped back up to Pippa’s face, and she was both relieved and disappointed at the apology she saw in the other woman’s eyes - clearly the guests were not present on Hecate’s invitation, but that also meant they weren’t likely to leave at her request. Pippa braced herself for awkward conversation and fixed a smile onto her features as Hecate stepped aside to let her into the room.

“Miss Pentangle?” Pippa suddenly very much regretted her choice of low-cut dress.

“Well met, Miss Cackle. Miss Drill,” she was greeted with bowed heads and ‘Well Met’s in polite reply, but both witches still looked confused and surprised at her presence. Hecate, for her part, looked just as composed and stern as she did while teaching a class. Which gave Pippa absolutely no hints as to how much these witches knew, and how much Hecate would allow them to know.

“Are you telling me HB _actually_ had a meeting tonight?” Miss Drill finally broke the awkward silence that had settled over the four of them after Pippa had sat in a chair nearest the fire.

“Oh – um,” she glanced at Hecate who gave her absolutely no help, “Yes. I just wanted an outside opinion for some disagreements we’ve been having at Pentangle’s and... well, it’s not really all that important, I suppose.”

“Hecate, you should have told us – we would have moved this to another day.” Miss Cackle smiled kindly at both Hecate and Pippa in turn, which made her feel like _slightly_ less of an intruder.

“I _did_ tell you.” Hecate pointed out in her usual staccato voice. Pippa barely succeeded in stifling her laugh at the evident annoyance on Hecate’s face.

“We’re throwing her a little birthday party, you see,” Miss Drill said, leaning towards Pippa conspiratorially, “And we thought she was just trying to get out of it.”

“Birthday party? But her birthday’s not for another-”

“Not _one_ more word, Miss Pentangle,” Hecate cut her off, her voice a little louder than necessary. She glared at Pippa, but it felt different to the angry looks exchanged at the Spelling Bee. Softer, somehow.

“Hang on, you actually know when HB’s birthday is? We’ve been trying to get her to tell us for years!”

“You won’t tell them your _birthday?”_ Now it was Pippa’s turn to look at Hecate, lifting an eyebrow and failing to supress the bubble of laughter in her voice.

“I fail to see how my birthday is of any consequence.”

“And _that_ is precisely why, every year, Dimity and I throw her these little parties.” Miss Cackle smiled, producing a cup of tea from somewhere and drinking.

“We only give her a few hours warning so she can’t find a way out of them, but she always tries. So when she said she had plans for this evening...” Miss Drill looked at her apologetically.

“Not to worry,” Pippa found herself saying. Despite the fact that she would like nothing more than to be alone with Hecate right now, it was important that people at Cackle’s looked out for her. And if she let herself be used as an excuse to escape social interactions now, she had no doubt Hecate would use her again, whether she was actually present or not. “The meeting can always be rescheduled.” She stood up to leave, but both Miss Drill’s hand on her arm and Hecate’s expression of dismay stopped her.

“Why don’t you stay? I would _love_ to hear some stories of what HB was like at school...”

“Pippa Pentangle, don’t you _dare-“_

And perhaps it was Miss Drill’s smirk at the idea of Hecate as a student, perhaps it was her constant desire to disobey Hecate’s orders. Perhaps it was the look in Hecate’s eyes when she thought Pippa would leave, or the sound of her name on Hecate’s lips. Or perhaps she’d just been looking for an excuse to stay. Whatever the reason, Pippa Pentangle sat back in her chair and, with a mischievous smile playing across her features, faced Miss Drill.

“What would you like to know?”

~

Hecate’s hands were everywhere, tangled in her hair, clutching at her waist, gliding over her hips... Pippa gasped as Hecate’s mouth moved down her neck, pausing at a particularly sensitive spot where her it met her shoulder. She felt the other woman begin to lick and suck and she moaned, tilting her head back to allow Hecate better access. Even as her hands worked to undo the other woman’s tight bun, Hecate’s own fingers caressed the skin of Pippa’s thighs, making her breath catch. She felt Hecate smile against her skin as her fingers slid over Pippa’s centre, lightly, teasingly.

“Hecate... _please,”_ Pippa writhed, bucking her hips until Hecate finally obliged. She drew Pippa into another deep kiss as her fingers found Pippa’s clit, circling it gently.

“Oh god _yes...”_ Pippa moaned as Hecate slipped a finger inside her and began to move, _“Hecate!”_

  
Hecate Hardbroom liked to think she was not easily embarrassed. It wasn’t remotely true, of course, but she liked to think it anyway. She knew there were some things that embarrassed her that wouldn’t faze most witches – being hugged by Pippa Pentangle, for one. What she felt most witches _would_ be embarrassed by, was the current source of her fidgeting hands and inability to lift her gaze from the floor. It wasn’t just that Pippa Pentangle was asleep on her living room sofa. It wasn’t something she was used to, but they’d all had quite a bit to drink and Pippa was in no state to fly all the way back to Pentangle’s, so it had made sense. Thankfully, Ada and Dimity had gone back to their own rooms before Pippa had begun to dream. Hecate knew Pippa was dreaming for three reasons. One, her eyelids were fluttering ever-so-slightly. Two, she was moving around a little, and her face had long ago ceased its neutral expression. The third reason was the current source of Hecate’s embarrassment. In her sleep, Pippa Pentangle was not only writhing and pulling a certain expression that Hecate forced herself not to look at, but Pippa was _moaning._ And she was getting louder.

Hecate had absolutely no idea what to do. If she woke Pippa up, she’d have to explain why, but if she didn’t... it was incredibly hard to focus on logical thought when Pippa Pentangle, the most beautiful witch Hecate had ever seen, was moaning on the sofa Hecate’s chair was placed far too close to.

“Oh god _yes...”_ Hecate’s eyes widened. Oh, she definitely shouldn’t be here. Maybe if she walked very quickly and very quietly Pippa would never know that she- _“Hecate!”_

Hecate’s eyes shot to Pippa and she froze. Pippa was dreaming about... _her?_

  
Pippa awoke with a start to find her mouth dry and her thighs uncomfortably wet. Oh no. Oh no no no _no_ this was _not_ happening. Because staring at her with wide eyes and reddening cheeks was Hecate Hardbroom. It was clearly morning judging by light coming through the window and the tight black dress Hecate wore, but the other woman’s hair was still loose around her shoulders. Pippa knew _exactly_ what had caused Hecate’s blush and felt her own face begin to burn. She knew she had a tendency to make the movements and sometimes even _noises_ of her dreams in the real world, but just how much had she done this time? Oh god. This was not going to go well. Pippa sat up and gave her best attempt at a smile, which she had a sneaking suspicion came out incredibly shaky.

“I’m going to guess from your expression that you know exactly what I was just dreaming about.” Humour. Humour was good. Hecate cleared her throat and dropped her gaze to the floor.

“I... have a fairly good idea, yes.” Pippa had to cover her mouth with a hand because she could not afford to laugh right now but Hecate Hardbroom, the infamous disciplinarian, blushing bright red and avoiding eye-contact was just _too_ good.

“Well, in my defence, there was a very attractive witch present in my dream and-” Pippa was planning on saying more, but her laughter got the better of her.

“I’m not sure why you’re laughing so much,” Hecate had mostly regained her composure – apart from her slightly pink cheeks – and was now surveying Pippa with an almost predatory gaze that did not help the amount of moisture between her legs. She shifted, crossing her legs to try and relieve some of the pressure. Which did not work in the slightest. “After all, there was a very _vocal_ witch present in my living room.”

The laughter died on Pippa’s lips. Okay, so not just movements then. Oh god – how much had Hecate heard?

“Oh?” her voice was far too high and strangled to come off as casual, and she cleared her throat, eyeing Hecate warily.

“It’s a good thing I have a silencing charm on my rooms at all times,” Hecate said, a small smile playing about her mouth, “Or I dread to think what any passers by might have thought. Tell me, what _exactly_ happened with this ‘very attractive witch’ that made you so... eager?”

Pippa looked at Hecate, eyes narrowing and a retort already forming on her tongue. But... this was not the same woman from a few weeks ago, there was no _way_ she’d be this calm and collected and _confident_ unless- oh. She felt her face burn even hotter at the realisation.

“I said your name out loud, didn’t I?”

“That you did, _Miss Pentangle.”_

Pippa very nearly let out an entirely inappropriate noise at the way Hecate said her name and would have been proud of herself for catching it had the look on the other witch’s face not made it _exceedingly_ clear that Pippa’s expression had given away her thoughts on the matter.

“Well, this isn’t exactly how I planned to broach the subject of what happened the last time I was here, but seeing as this conversation can’t _possibly_ get any more awkward we might as well talk about it,” Pippa hadn’t realised how nervous she had been about talking about the potential relationship between her and Hecate until this precise moment. As it turned out, she was _incredibly_ nervous.

“What would you like to say?” there was a slight brittleness to Hecate’s words and Pippa knew she wasn’t the only one feeling uncertain. She also knew that Hecate wasn’t going to reject her, even after witnessing her quite frankly _mortifying_ dream.

“That I have been in love with you since I was twelve years old, and getting to kiss you was quite possibly one of the best moments of my life.” She smiled as she saw Hecate’s eyes soften and the corners of her mouth twitch up in a smile she was clearly trying to supress. “And you? What would _you_ like to say, Hiccup?”

“A great many things. That I have loved you for longer than even I knew. That I didn’t realise I’d imagined what kissing you would feel like until it surpassed anything I could have possibly dreamed,” Hecate’s eyes darkened then and her red-painted lips twitched upwards once more, “And that I _desperately_ want to hear you make those sounds from your dream again.” Pippa squeezed her legs together against the sparks that shot to her core. Hecate stood and slowly, deliberately laid a hand on Pippa’s jaw. Feeling as though she was once again in a dream, Pippa stood, letting herself be drawn closer and closer into Hecate until their mouths met and she was suddenly _very_ aware of every place their bodies touched.

Pippa brushed her tongue against Hecate’s mouth and was promptly granted access as Hecate placed a hand on her back and pulled her impossibly closer. Pippa’s hands tangled in her hair and Hecate moaned into Pippa’s mouth, making her whimper. Just as Pippa began to blindly undo Hecate’s belt, a loud chime sounded and both witches snapped their heads towards the source, panting.

“Breakfast,” Hecate said, slightly out of breath and incredibly irritated at yet _another_ interrupted moment.

“Oh no. You are _not_ leaving me like this _again.”_

“Like what, Pipsqueak?” Hecate lifted an eyebrow in a mock-question and Pippa narrowed her eyes, grabbing Hecate’s collar and pulling her down for another searing kiss.

“You know perfectly well like _what,_ Hecate Hardbroom,” she breathed onto the other witch’s mouth.

“And while I would very much like to remedy that... _situation,_ Pipsqueak,” Hecate spoke with such a hunger that Pippa very much believed she wasn’t the only one in a _‘situation’,_ but as Hecate ran a hand through Pippa’s hair she leaned into the touch and couldn’t quite find the words to say so, “Don’t you have a school to run?” Pippa froze, eyes widening as she was pulled from whatever haze she’d been in.

_“Shit.”_


	3. The Summer Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At the annual summer party for the teachers of nearby magical schools, Pippa and Hecate both struggle to find time alone and keep up appearances

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi so I would like to apologise for not updating this sooner! Classes started again and I had a lot of work to catch up on, but I should hopefully be able to give you more regular updates from now on. Hope you enjoy!

Hecate looked at herself in the mirror one last time. Her dress was typical of her usual style in most ways – it was still black, full length and long sleeved. However, due to the oppressive summer heat it was thinner than usual, the tight-fitting bodice giving way to a looser skirt and the sleeves consisting entirely of sheer lace etched with swirling leaves and vines. She still wore her hair in a tight bun and her lips were stained the usual bright red, but her neckline was slightly lower than she normally allowed. Hecate hated summer. And she hated these parties. Every year in the summer holidays one of the three closest schools – Cackle’s, Amethyst’s or Pentangle’s – would host a party for all the staff to celebrate the previous year’s achievements. And every third year, when it was hosted at Cackle’s, she’d invent an excuse to remain in her rooms. This year would be the first time she had ever graced the festivities with her presence, which she told herself had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Pippa would be in attendance. Thanks to the recent events involving Ada’s wicked sister, Hecate had been denied the chance to meet with Pippa since her faux-birthday party weeks ago, and despite their frequent mirror calls, both witches missed the other terribly. Hecate looked herself over once more, nodded, and transported down to Cackle’s courtyard where the party had already begun.

“HB? You never come to these things!” Miss Drill had never been one for tact, and Hecate made a mental note to take revenge on the witch for drawing all eyes to where she stood. For now, an angry twitch of her eyebrow was enough to make Dimity suddenly interested in the food on her plate, and Hecate allowed herself the faintest of smiles.

Thankfully, before anyone else could question her sudden change of heart about attending, the staff of Pentangle’s arrived on their brooms with quite a bit more flourish than was really necessary. Hecate would have made a face at the pink fireworks currently drawing everyone’s attention upwards, but as the pink-clad witch landed all thoughts left her mind. While Pippa’s dress _was_ her usual colour, it had thin straps that perched on the edge of her shoulders, and the neckline dipped as low as the semi-formal gathering would allow. The skirt flared outwards and swayed as she moved, and only came up to her mid-thigh which left the rest of her legs on display. Hecate’s eyes moved slowly over every inch of Pippa, before finally coming back to the other witch’s face. She noticed with no small amount of satisfaction that Pippa’s eyes were still roaming along her own form, and the corner of her mouth twitched upwards. When their gaze finally met Pippa smiled radiantly and Hecate thought there had never been a more beautiful sight. Pippa, ever abandoning tradition, began to walk straight to Hecate instead of first greeting her host, pausing only a few feet away to raise a hand to her forehead and bow just a little.

“Well met, Hecate.”

“Well met, Miss Pentangle,” Hecate took care to say Pippa’s name in the way she happened to know the other witch _particularly_ liked, and noted her eyes darkening for a moment. Pippa opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the swift arrival of Ada and the headmistress of Amethyst’s and she was drawn into some formal conversation involving the running of schools or something similar. In fact, the next hour was spent with only a few stolen glances as one of them was drawn away right as the other disengaged herself. Finally, as the sun was setting Ada announced it was time for some dancing which gave Hecate the perfect opportunity to vanish herself and Pippa from opposite sides of the grassy courtyard.

  
“Hecate! You know I’ve always hated when you-” Pippa’s complaint was cut off by Hecate’s mouth on hers, hands tangling immediately in her unbound hair. Pippa’s own hands came to rest on Hecate’s waist, pulling her closer. Eventually, they had to break the kiss to breathe, but Hecate’s hands never left Pippa’s hair.

“Not that I’m complaining,” Pippa panted, moving one hand up onto Hecate’s shoulder, “But what _exactly_ was that for?”

“The dress... and because I’ve missed you,” Hecate smiled, moving to kiss along Pippa’s jaw.

“Hiccup,” Pippa sighed and tilted her head back as Hecate reached her neck, “I missed you too- _oh!”_ her eyes fluttered closed as Hecate began to lick and suck on any exposed skin across Pippa’s neck and shoulder, hands sliding down to rest on Pippa’s hips. The taller witch slowly backed Pippa against a wall without stopping what she was doing, and Pippa’s sighs and gasps became louder and more sinful as Hecate’s lips and tongue made their way slowly down, following the neckline of Pippa’s dress. Hecate bit down on a particularly sensitive spot, causing a rush of heat straight of Pippa’s core. As Hecate’s tongue soothed the mark, Pippa found herself wondering what that mouth would feel like on other parts of her body, and let out a low moan as her head dropped back to rest against the wall and her hands drifted to Hecate’s hair, taking her bun down with a spark of magic.

Hecate groaned as she slipped the straps of Pippa’s dress down her arms and slowly, carefully pushed to fabric down her body. Their mouths met again, faster this time as Hecate reached back to undo Pippa’s bra and her fingers ghosted over the newly exposed skin. Pippa let out a noise somewhere between a moan and a gasp as Hecate bent her head and took one of Pippa’s nipples in her mouth, swirling her tongue over it as her skilled fingers found the other. Pippa’s hips thrust forward at the sensation and suddenly Hecate’s leg was there and she found herself grinding down on the other witch’s thigh.

“Hecate...” Pippa was trying very hard to form a sentence but her mind was _not_ producing coherent thoughts right now. She swallowed and tried again, even as she ground down on Hecate’s leg again. “Hecate, wait,” she managed, panting. Hecate stopped and looked at her, hair wild and lipstick smeared and dark eyes full of concern.

“Is everything... alright?” Hecate’s breathing was just as ragged as her own, and Pippa cupped her face with a hand.

“Not here... not our first time,” she explained, and saw the tinge of fear leave Hecate’s eyes as she understood. “I want to enjoy you properly... although I _definitely_ want to come back to this after.” Pippa smiled wickedly and their mouths met, all tongues and teeth and hands tangling in hair.

“We should go back,” Hecate brushed a strand of hair out of Pippa’s face as she spoke, looking like there was nothing she wanted to do less than return to the party.

 _“You’re_ the one that transported us away, you know.”

“Which is why _I’m_ the one who has to tell you to go back – you’ll be missed. We’ve probably already been gone too long.”

“Trust me, I’m not the only one that’s going to be missed. Or did you somehow not see how all those witches were eyeing you in that dress?” Hecate’s brow furrowed in confusion and Pippa laughed, “You really are so oblivious sometimes, Hiccup.” She kissed her again, sweetly and gently, but before long one of them had deepened it and Pippa found herself pressed firmly into the wall again. She was very quickly reconsidering her rule on their first time taking place in a bed, when there was the sound of voices and footsteps from far too close to their location.

“I’m telling you; it says HB’s right around here. And locator spells never lie.” The footsteps stopped suddenly, just around the corner from the corridor they were currently occupying.

“I don’t know Dimity, maybe she had good reason to sneak away. It’s not like Hecate to attend at all, and tracking her down like a disobedient first year is hardly going to convince her to come to the Yule Ball...” Ada sounded concerned and uncertain.

“If that woman interrupts us one more time...” Hecate muttered under her breath, looking ready to commit murder as she waved a hand and put them both to rights.

“She does seem to have impeccable timing,” Pippa smiled grimly, kissing Hecate quickly as the voices subsided. Clearly the witches had come to a decision as their footsteps again sounded, coming closer. Hecate waved a hand and Pippa was suddenly back outside, conveniently out of the way, and she made a mental note to get Hecate back for transporting her twice in one night.

~

The full moon was bright overhead as Ada gave one of her famously long speeches after the final song of the night. Everyone was to fly home afterward, leaving her no time to speak with Hecate. As Ada began wrapping up her speech, Pippa again noticed the number of other witches and wizards eyeing up Hecate. How her Hiccup had no idea she was beautiful was beyond Pippa – but in amongst the fondness she felt a small pang of jealousy. Stood at Ada’s side, Hecate was in full view of all the party goers and Pippa realised at least a few of them were planning on approaching the witch, to tell her to mirror them or make up some question about potions that only Hecate could answer. Pippa's hands curled into fists at her sides – she knew Hecate could be trusted and that she’d never do anything beyond friendly conversation, but the way some of the other teachers looked at her... with a _hunger_ in their eyes, attraction that Hecate had somehow never noticed. Pippa had seen it before, at those few times they’d met in the last thirty years, but now with the lower neckline and lace detailing Hecate looked even more beautiful than usual. And other people had taken notice.

Ada’s speech finished and Pippa clapped politely along with everyone else, even as she made her way towards Hecate. If someone else got there before her and Hecate was pulled into a conversation they wouldn’t get a chance to talk in person until goddess knew when. They’d have to deal with the new students for the rest of the summer and the first few weeks of term are always a struggle, so Pippa almost certainly wouldn't be able to get away and... there was a small cluster of witches and wizards around Hecate. Three witches and two wizards, to be exact. And, Pippa noted with no small amount of annoyance, one of them was no other than her deputy head who looked far too friendly with Hecate. Not that Pippa had anything against that. Hecate could do what she liked with whomever she pleased, but when they were all so blatantly _flirting_ with her like that...

“Oh, you’re so _funny!”_ One of the witches laughed and rested her hand on Hecate’s arm and Pippa saw red.

If she’d actually been thinking, she wouldn’t have done it. If she’d been even _half_ as civilised as her parents had wanted her to be, she probably wouldn’t have heard the little voice in her head that screamed _mine mine **mine.**_ But she wasn’t thinking, and she’d never really absorbed her family’s teachings. So Pippa Pentangle walked straight to the centre of the little crowd and put a possessive arm around Hecate’s waist. And she pulled the other witch as close as she could and rested her temple against Hecate’s shoulder. She felt Hecate stiffen and wondered if this had been a supremely bad idea until Hecate, much to the open-mouthed shock of all the Cackle’s teachers who were clustered nearby watching Hecate’s little group, slowly put an arm around Pippa’s shoulders. It was a little awkward, but it was also a statement. One that, somehow, every single one of the witches and wizards focused on Hecate seemed to ignore. Pippa’s heart was racing so loudly she didn’t hear any of the other conversation until:

“See you at the Yule Ball?”

“Perhaps.”

“Well, if you are there, I hope you’ll save a dance for me.” Before Hecate could reply, the Amethyst witch was called away, and she smiled prettily at Hecate before flouncing off to collect her broom. Pippa suddenly became aware of just how many eyes were on the two of them, still pressed to each other’s sides.

“It’s been a pleasure, Miss Pentangle.” It was Ada who spoke, but with her were all the shocked Cackle’s staff who were desperate to see what exactly Hecate would do next in these uncharted waters.

“It was a wonderful party, Miss Cackle,” she smiled, and realised she should probably remove her hand from Hecate’s waist.

“Goodbye, Miss Pentangle.” It was Hecate. Pippa looked up to see the other witch’s eyes, softer than she’d ever seen them when looking at anyone else.

“So long, Hecate.” And, she wasn't quite sure why she did it, but as she retracted her arm and she felt the coldness of her bare shoulder where Hecate’s hand had been just seconds before, Pippa forgot about everyone watching and smiled mischievously at Hecate. “See you at the Yule Ball.” And she tapped Hecate’s nose before turning and summoning her broomstick. She didn’t look back until she was in the air, and saw a startled witch clad in black staring up at her with a crowd of stunned witches looking at Hecate with wide eyes and open mouths. And Pippa laughed into the night sky.

**Author's Note:**

> More chapters coming soon. Comments are invited and appriciated!


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